Dear Mr. Rodger Goodell,

I have been a devoted follower of the National Football League (NFL) for the past t 10 years. Football has become America’s most popular sport due to the intensity and thrill of the game. I am worried that constant interference from referees is starting to wreck the flow and nature of the game. Football is a physical violent game and too many penalties are turning the NFL into a cupcake league.


I am a diehard Packer fan, and two weeks ago I was disappointed to see the game be completely changed by one penalty. The Packers had forced the Bears into a punt on fourth down when a penalty was called for a Packer lining up over the Long snapper. The penalty gave the Bears a first down and three plays later, the Bears scored. This is a new rule that was put in place to protect the long snapper, but all players in the NFL know when they join what they are getting themselves into; violence is the nature of the game. In another game that week, Miles Austin had a 70 yard touchdown called back for bumping into a cornerback seven yards downfield. It seems like every game I watch now is disrupted by numerous game changing penalties. I would like to see less regulation and more judgment used by referees. On penalties like pass interference, defensive holding, and helmet to helmet hits, refs should use common sense and only throw the flag if the play was malicious. Constant disruptions from penalties can take away from a team’s momentum and create a more boring game. You might say penalties can be avoided by simply not committing them, but that is becoming harder and harder because everything can be penalized. The more penalties referees throw, the more they will get wrong. Referees are human and make mistakes; if fewer penalties are called, they will make fewer mistakes and impact the game less.

As the commissioner of the National Football League, you have the power to set forth new rules and regulations with referees. You can personally talk to the teams of referees and express how people watch the game for the players not the referees. Tell them to use judgment when calling penalties especially late in the game. I am worried if something isn’t done about this, the NFL will lose fans and its place on top of professional sports.

If you wish to contact me, you may use the address above. Thank you for taking time to read this letter.


Sincerely,


Zach N